The Beads
by Alannada
Summary: The beads bound him to her, they proclaimed him as hers, were the physical manifestation of their bond. A poor attempt at Gang AU
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I was requested to write a Gang AU for a Barks chapter. I suck at modern AUs in general, so brace yourselves. It got a little too long to be a Barks chapter and it's rating is a little higher than my usual stories, so I posted it separately. It kinda went its own way... I'm sorry, but I told you I suck at everything modern already. Anyway, hope you'll enjoy it - it was fun to write.  
Written for and betad by amazing File 13  
I was going to post it as one-chapter thing, but I'm wicked and I divided it to more chapters. But don't worry, I have the whole story finished and intend to post it in a few days

* * *

 **The Beads**

 **1.**

* * *

Inuyasha woke up with a royal headache. Not only was every sound pounding in his head, it seemed that even swiveling his ears in the direction of a sound was painful. His limbs were stiff and he couldn't move, he could only lay on his back. He groaned and opened his eyes.

Luckily the light in the room was dim and not hurting his sight. A single light bulb was creating a small circle of light around a table and a few chairs directly under it. The rest of the room was covered in shadows, including the mattress in a corner, where he was laying. There were two other boys in the room, laying on mattresses along the opposite wall. One was a black-haired human boy dressed in a purple button up shirt and dark jeans, the other was a wolf youkai in track suit, his brown hair bound in a high ponytail . The human was asleep, but the wolf's piercing blue eyes were scanning the room.

"You're awake, mutt," he growled out.

"Yeah. What's going on?" Inuyasha asked. The last thing he could remember was him leaving a ramen shop and planning to go to the park to read the newest volume of his favorite manga. Since they seemed to be in the same situation Inuyasha decided to ignore the insult to his mixed blood. It was annoying that some idiots were still looking down at hanyous like him, but right now a mere insult from a mealy wolf wasn't worth his ire.

"Your guess is as good as mine," the youkai muttered. "You're a dog, can you smell anything?"

"I thought wolves had decent sense of smell," Inuyasha grumbled, but inhaled deeply a few times, ignoring the youkai's growled reply. His head was aching and he was still unable to move, but at least his senses were working. He picked a few smells, old and new, but had no time to share his discovery with the wolf. The human groaned and lolled his head to the side, looking at the room.

"Oh, shit," he muttered after investigating the small space and spotting his companions.

"Welcome to reality, sleeping beauty," snorted the youkai. The door opened and a small girl with long black hair peeked in, her orange and yellow kimono almost shining in the light of the bulb, but her face hidden in the shadow cast by her bangs.

"Little girl, where are we?" Inuyasha asked, desperately trying to sit up and read the girl's face. She gasped and jumped back, closing the door. His sensitive ears picked the sound of her little feet on the corridor floor.

"Good job," the wolf commented.

"Fuck off," replied Inuyasha with all his heart behind that, the wolf was making him wish he could stand up and beat him senseless. The human sighed.

"I'm Miroku," he introduced himself. Inuyasha turned his head to look at him, surprised that introducing was the first thing that came to his mind in this situation. Oh well, it wasn't like they could do anything else. Inuyasha tried to move his hand and failed.

"Inuyasha," he replied.

"Kouga," muttered the wolf.

"Do you think they're going to sell our kidneys?" Miroku asked.

"Maybe we're going to be sacrificed in some bloody ritual to revive an ancient daiyoukai?" suggested Kouga. "Like, you know, that Panther King the cat youkai wanted to revive the last year."

"Nah, Sesshomaru would kill any asshole dumb enough to revive a daiyoukai," Inuyasha shook his head. He knew that pretty well, he had been involved in this shit, but luckily the journalists had never learned about his part in the events of that week. Both other boys looked at him, surprised he was talking about the Western Daiyoukai like this, but before any of them could speak Inuyasha's ears twitched, hearing sounds of footsteps.

The door opened once again, this time revealing an old woman with a black eyepatch covering her right eye. She was dressed in a traditional miko outfit. Behind her stood a group of girls, some of them dressed in school uniforms, others in kimonos - those in the kimonos seemed to be a little older. There were also a few males, Inuyasha could smell them, but none entered the room while the females went inside and gathered around the door.

"What's going on?" asked Kouga angrily

"Why are we here?" Miroku added, his dark blue eyes staring at the newcomers.

"Let us go," finished Inuyasha, all of them sounded confused and unsure about their future. They had been kidnapped and were held under some spell rendering them unable to move. Inuyasha wondered if they wanted a ransom from Sesshomaru - he really hoped not, because the bastard wouldn't pay a penny for his freedom. The old woman walked in, followed by some more girls. Inuyasha's ears plastered against his skull when he saw some of the girls looking at them with curiosity and... Was it envy? No one replied to the three boys' words until the woman sat down by the table and put a bag on it. Inuyasha felt a lump in his throat and tried to control his uneasiness and not let it turn into fear. There were a few youkai among the girls and he really didn't want them smelling fear from him - it would hurt his pride even more than being in his current situation. He had to be calm and look for an opening to get free.

"Welcome to the family, boys, soon you'll be able to move and some of you questions may be answered. Remain calm, we don't mean you any harm," the old hag said and gestured to the girls, three of those in high school uniforms approached her. As the girls walked in the circle of the light he realized they looked vaguely familiar, he could have seen them in his school. Were they from another class? Their uniforms were definitely from his school... "Sango, Ayame, Kagome, have you decided?"

"Yes, Mama Kaede," the trio replied. Inuyasha stared at the scene unfolding before his eyes - the old woman took out of her bag three strings of beads and handed them to the girls. The one called Kagome approached his mattress and knelt on its edge.

"Hey..." he started when she reached up and slipped the beaded necklace over his head and around his neck. The beads were red, with white magatama between them. "What's..." The girl smiled at him warmly and patted his shoulder.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of you," she assured him. Despite the mysterious situation and strange power radiating from the necklace, he couldn't stop himself from thinking she was cute, smiling with her innocent smile and her brown eyes sparkling with excitement. Her scent seemed to lessen his headache a little and Inuyasha felt his inner youkai shift in a way it had never done before.

"We're done, Mama," said Sango girl from her spot beside Miroku. Inuyasha turned his gaze away from Kagome's face and looked at the old woman, hoping to get some answers. The wolf was growling and struggling, but it was pathetic and pointless because he could barely move his limbs. The red-haired wolf youkai girl beside him giggled and smacked him playfully in his arm, telling him to be quiet.

"Look, girls," the old woman said to the rest of the females standing behind her. "When you accomplish a great thing and follow the rules of the family, Mama gives you great gifts."

"Gifts?" Inuyasha repeated before hissing in pain; the girl Kagome had grabbed his ear between her fingers and pinched.

"We will work for the benefit of the family," the girls still by the doorway assured the elderly woman, a few glancing with envy at the trio.

"Good. Now," the old woman stood up and muttered a few odd words. Inuyasha felt he could move again, even if his headache didn't lessen. Immediately he jumped to his feet, as did Kouga, both ready to fight to get out of the room. Miroku managed to sit up when Kagome, Ayame, and Sango all shouted, respectively:

"Sit!", "Roll over!" and "Freeze!"

A foreign force pulled Inuyasha face first on the mattress on which he was standing while Miroku tensed motionless and Kouga fell to his back.

During the months to come Inuyasha was going to ponder the matter of him face-planting after hearing this command. It would make more sense for him to instantly sit, not fall on his nose.

"The hell!?" he glared up at the girl, who ran her fingers through his hair. He could hear snorts of amusement of the females and angry voices of the males demanding to know what's going on.

"You're mine now," Kagome said. "And the beads will make you do whatever I want."

"But that's against the law!" Inuyasha protested, trying and failing to remove his beads from around his neck, as did Kouga and Miroku. The former wore the beads like Inuyasha, while the latter had them around his right hand.

"No, it's according to the law of the Higurashi," the old woman said. "Girls, I'm leaving to you training your Helps and teaching them the rules and their places in the family. I don't care what you do with them, but do not let them misbehave. Mama's gifts are a sign of appreciation, but also a responsibility. You have three free days, unless the Bellflowers try to invade our domain."

"Don't worry, Mama, Tsubaki's girls are pathetic and they have no fighting skills," Sango smiled widely and stood up while the rest of the girls were voicing their agreement. "Follow."

Inuyasha stared in disbelief at Miroku standing up and obediently following Sango out, Kouga doing the same when the other girl gave the command. He looked up at Kagome, who stroked his hair one last time before standing up. "Don't worry, I will take care of you. Follow."

The beads around his neck pulsed and Inuyasha jumped to his feet to walk after the girl. As as he left the dimly lit room he entered a new world, a world hidden from ordinary people.


	2. Chapter 2

**2.**

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Inuyasha was sitting on the floor of Kagome's room, finishing her homework. His own was already done, but she had an essay to bring to the school the next day and he was halfway through it. Suddenly he heard a familiar noise and jumped to his feet - just in time to see the door open and the petite girl holding power over his spirit enter the room. She threw her bag carelessly on the ground and closed the door before turning to face him, but his sensitive nose already alerted him to what he was going to see. A long cut was running across her cheek, blood still dripping from her face.

"Kagome!" he exclaimed worriedly and approached her, the essay forgotten. The girl leaned into his embrace and tipped her head away from his chest, not wanting to rub her aching cheek. The hanyou bowed his head and licked the cut, sweeping his tongue across her skin and healing her with his saliva. The girl in his embrace sighed in relief when her pain dulled.

"Thanks, Inuyasha," she whispered and relaxed in his arms. He was still amazed by her willingness to drop her guard around him, she was the first girl who wasn't disgusted by him - a hanyou - holding her and licking her face. He felt her muscles flex under his tongue when she smiled. She smelled and tasted better than ramen. Who knew there was something better than ramen? He felt oddly at peace around her, her presence could at the same time calm his inner youkai, and make him angrier than ever.

She was his mistress and could make his life a living hell - just like Ayame had done with Kouga's at the beginning of their life together: she had made it very clear about who was the alpha wolf in their duo. But Kouga's situation at the start was quite rare - most mistresses were much nicer, just like Sango and Kagome. At least Higurashi mistresses, according to rumors other families could treat their Helps pretty bad. The Higurashi had a different approach for their boys - the girls were treating them more like partners, not underlings. They used the beads only when it was necessary and weren't cruel without reason. From what he had overheard, Sango and Miroku were very intimate - and quite loud about it - ever since the first days of their life together. Miroku was bound to be quiet about their activities, but his smile told Inuyasha everything anyway. Seven other males were living in the Shrine (they were the closest to Mama Kaede, there a few more locations in their district where various members of the family were living) and only two others were sharing their mistresses' beds. The only male who hadn't a mistress and was a full fledged member of the family was Souta, Kagome and Sango's younger brother and grandson of Mama Kaede. The rest - even Kaede's own husband - wore beads.

Inuyasha had been living in Higurashi Shrine with Kagome for the past four months. He had brought all his belongings and was occupying a room connected to Kagome's in the big house where the family was living. His closest family was his half-brother, who was currently living in Kyoto and didn't care about him; he'd never had friends, so there was no one to see that the hanyou's life had changed that fateful day months ago. In his opinion most of the changes were for good - he was a place to belong, people he could claim as his friends, as a Help he wasn't contained against his will and his mistress had enough common sense not to order crazy or weird thing of him.

Now his world was the Shrine grounds and Kagome Higurashi, his mistress and friend. She was the only person who had seen his human form and who had accepted him as he was. She gave him orders, but she did her share of chores - when she wasn't on a mission. In the school, she was sat next to him during the lunch break and she had never denied being his girlfriend when their classmates had tried to tease her for being "the geeky hanyou's girlfriend". She usually was requesting politely, not demanding him to do something and when he was punished it was because he was being a jerk. She never called him "half breed", she was always telling him his ears - disgusting to everyone except her and a few other family members - were nothing to be ashamed of, and had quickly made sure that he wouldn't let anyone but her touch them - which was just fine with him, since he hated people tugging at the damn things. And she loved to watch anime with him.

He knew he should probably hate her and her family for kidnapping him and making him a Help without a chance to refusem… But he didn't really miss it like he probably should have. He just couldn't find it in himself to feel anything but gratitude and warmth when thinking about Kagome. Not one of the Shrine residents looked down at him for his mixed blood, he actually had friends, and the cutest and most amazing girl was currently nuzzling his collarbone and sighing happily. The collar and occasional face-plant seemed to be a small price for acceptance and place in the world for a lone hanyou.

A small part of him - the part which spent too much time with Miroku - hoped one day he and Kagome could be real boyfriend and girlfriend... Or even more.

"Carry me to the bed?" Kagome wrapped her arms around him. It wasn't an order, but he obliged anyway. He wanted her to feel happy, he wanted to do anything he could to make her eyes sparkle with joy. He picked her up and stepped above the discarded notebooks on the floor to place her gently on the bed.

"Want some juice?" he asked, but she shook her head.

"No. I just need some rest. I already told everything to Mama Kaede," she replied.

"How was the mission?" he inquired. The Collared Ones couldn't tell anyone about the matters of the family as it was, but many of the members still kept them more or less in the dark. Kagome was different, though. She was honest and willing to talk to him as her equal. Sometimes it was so easy to forget she could make him obey with one word. Kagome found his hand and started to play with his fingers, not afraid of his sharp claws.

It was always almost too easy to forget this young woman was the strongest miko of her age in the Higurashi family, an excellent fighter and cunning girl in general. Most of the time she appeared to be as innocent as a kitten.

"I stole the Pearl. Tsubaki was absolutely furious, but she couldn't do a thing when I pinned her to a wall with my arrow. It went right through her shoulder," she grinned - a kitten changing in a tiger. "Mama is so proud of me, she told me I could take as much time to rest as I want. I think we'll skip school for the rest of the week."

"That's great, but where did you get the cut?" he stroked her cheek with the knuckles of his free hand. He was proud of her as well, but also felt his heart skip a beat when he realized yet again how dangerous her life was. He regretted that he couldn't go with her - at least not yet. He made a mental note to ask Mama Kaede to let him protect her second granddaughter. He was as good a fighter as any other youkai-blooded person and his canine instincts were making him more than a little inclined to protect his pack mates. But the rule was that the Collared Ones couldn't take part in missions without Mama's approval, no matter who they were.

"That bitch Kikyou," Kagome growled faintly, mimicking his expression of disgust and hate. Her eyes were drooping with sudden tiredness. "She tried to reclaim the Pearl, but I was too fast for her fat ass."

"She's no match for you. Go to sleep, Kagome," he said softly when he saw her eyelids close. He slid off her bed and sat with his back against it, returning to the essay, one ear turned back to listen to her breathing and heartbeat. She rubbed it gently before falling asleep, exhausted from using a lot of her power. Inuyasha didn't mind - he was going to guard her as she slept.

They were friends, caring for each other, and his beads were a material sign of their bond.

A/N: Yeah, it kinda smells a little slave-ish than gang-ish - I've warned you, it's a poor attempt at this AU :D  
If I ever do a sequel to this story I'd like to focus on this aspect. I have some ideas, but first I'd like to know if you would like to read another story from this AU?


	3. Chapter 3

**3.**

* * *

Miroku was telling a story, gesturing wildly while talking. Inuyasha was considering moving away from his range because he was seriously afraid he could get hit by the other boy. Kagome and Sango were both listening to Miroku and giggling. Inuyasha was simply sitting beside Kagome on the picnic blanket, enjoying the sunny Saturday afternoon in the park. There were a few kids and their parents playing nearby, but no one was bothering a foursome gathered around a big basket full of food. It was a perfect day.

Until she came. She walked towards them purposefully, her full hips swaying as she went. She moved with an unparalleled grace, and had the face of a China doll. Both Kagome and Sango tensed and grew silent when she knelt on the edge of the blanket and smiled at the two Higurashi girls. She looked similar to Kagome, but smelled much different. Her eyes were bright and cold like a block of ice.

"Hello," she said, her voice like a silver bell. Inuyasha lowered his ears, he could hear in her voice she was angry and tense, but also confident and determined.

"Kikyou," Sango hissed. "What do you want?"

"What are you doing on Higurashi grounds?" added Kagome.

Inuyasha's ears immediately laid down when he glared at the girl dressed in an uniform of a private school. She looked at the people in the park around them and leaned forward on her hands and knees to pluck up a rice cake from the basket without invitation. She smiled a little wider when she caught Miroku's eyes glued to her butt and arched her back a little more before resuming her kneeling position. Miroku glanced at a glaring Sango and lowered his head, looking mildly ashamed.

"My family lost something special, a family heirloom," Kikyou said and started to eat her stolen cake. She wasn't whispering, but wasn't too loud, as though she didn't want strangers overhearing her.

"Oh? That's a pity," Kagome said tersely and shifted to sit a little closer to Inuyasha. He had to ball his fists to prevent himself from reaching for her and enveloping her in his arms. He could see how tense and uncomfortable she was. She was still not to her full strength after their battle with a group of mikos who had tried to take over Higurashi domain after coming to Tokyo from a different city. All the Higurashi mikos were still regaining their powers, which was why the four friends were lazing around in the park rather than being at school. Inuyasha didn't like the smell of this situation.

"Yes," Kikyou lowered her head and glanced sideways at Inuyasha. She winked at him and he felt as if a ice cube materialized in his gut. "My family is frantically looking for it."

"We'll contact you if we find it," Sango assured Kikyou in a saccharine tone of voice which barely hid her underlying hostility. All three of the girls looked like the strings of a bow pulled too far and on verge of snapping. Miroku was looking between them with poorly concealed worry. Both boys knew it was against the rules for them to speak to a Bellflower, especially when it was Kikyou; Tsubaki's heir and probably the strongest young miko of their family. Inuyasha stole a discrete glance around, suspecting that there were more of her family members around, observing them and ready to attack the two Higurashi girls. They weren't helpless, all three humans having weapons hidden in folds of their clothing and him having his claws, but they probably were outnumbered. Kikyou was too calm for a lonely Bellflower on Higurashi grounds. But he saw only a bunch of ordinary humans and a few youkai in some distance, enjoying themselves; he couldn't sense any aura or pick any scent.

"Oh, thank you so much, Higurashi," Kikyou sighed. "It is a relief to know that you'll help. We are very fond of our heirloom and would go to drastic measures to reclaim it."

"What was this heirloom exactly?" asked Sango, frightening ignorance. All family members knew exactly what was the object which was gone from Bellflower's Shrine.

"Oh, it was a pearl, pink in color, big enough to fit in a hand," Kikyou explained, her cold blue eyes looking straight at Kagome, who returned the look with her calmest gaze. "A little bird stole it from us. It scratched a few of my sisters and their Helps."

"That's a pity," said Kagome. "You should've been more careful?"

"Maybe," Kikyou turned her gaze to look straight at Inuyasha. "I see you finally got your own Help," she commented. "I must say he's pretty cute. Exotic, even."

Kagome glared and rested her hand on Inuyasha's thigh.

"Is he good in bed? I heard youkai and hanyou are really good playthings," Kikyou grinned and reached her hand as if to touch Inuyasha's ear. The hanyou growled at her, baring his fangs. Kikyou gave him a look full of hate and disgust, but then smiled and looked at Kagome, who continued to glare at her.

"I believe it's not your business what I do with what's mine," the younger Higurashi said coolly. Kikyou laughed.

"Oh, you're right, my friend. After all, I don't walk around and brag about my Onigumo's stamina and prowess. Anyway, it seems you're quite fond of him."

Then her hand sprang forward and caught hold of Inuyasha's beads. Sango gasped and Kagome made a soft noise when Inuyasha felt a different force battle the one inhabiting his necklace.

He looked in Kikyou's eyes and saw her smile widely.

"You bitch!" Sango exclaimed and tried to grab her hand to pull her away, but Kikyou made a gesture with her other hand. Two snake-like youkai wrapped themselves around both Sango and Miroku. They wouldn't last long against the struggling humans, but could buy her time.

"Let go of him!" Kagome demanded. Inuyasha felt cold radiate from his necklace, freezing his muscles. Noises were coming and going in waves and he felt like throwing up. But the most frightening thing was he couldn't move, looking away from Kikyou's face was all he could do. He saw Sango and Miroku free themselves and extract knives from their sleeves while Kagome trembled and gasped for air, mist covering her eyes when she reached her hand for Inuyasha. She had almost grabbed his sleeve when Kikyou gave her order.


	4. Chapter 4

**4.**

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Inuyasha was standing a few meters away from his friends. Sango was standing above Kagome and Miroku who was supporting the miko while Sango was looking at the girl Inuyasha was holding in his arms. As soon as he realized what he was doing he wanted to drop her and return to Kagome's side, but his body couldn't move, the cold force wrapped around him and preventing him from joining his friends. Kagome's outstretched arms fell limply to her lap.

Kikyou let go of his beads and smiled at the Higurashis.

"What did you do to my beads? What's wrong with Kagome?" he demanded of the Bellflower, but he couldn't drop her. She gave him a wide smile.

"It's just a little revenge so the bird who thought she could infiltrate our Shrine and wound our mother learn her place," she said and chuckled

"Kikyou, you slimy bitch, what did you do!?" demanded Sango and quickly looked around when she saw three girls wearing uniforms similar to Kikyou's step from behind nearest trees, all three holding wicked-looking knives. There was a fourth girl in jeans and t-shirt with a baseball bat who walked from behind a tree to the opposite side. Suddenly Inuyasha realized there were no other people in the park - they probably ran away at the first pulse of Kikyou's reiki pouring into his beads. People usually couldn't see auras, but they still could sense them. And as there were members of two miko families in the same park, it was highly possible their meeting was going to end badly.

"Inu... yasha..." moaned Kagome and Inuyasha felt his heart clench at the pain in her voice.

"Let me explain to you, stupid pig," Kikyou ignored Inuyasha and focused at Sango, who now had more people to distract her. The other girls walked to stand behind Sango and Miroku, ready to attack when Kikyou gave a word. "I blocked her power through her bond with the mutt and as long as she is like this, I am the one ordering him around."

"How dare you!" Miroku looked down at Kagome's pale face, the girl shaking and waving her hands around as if trying to grab something which was beyond her reach. Inuyasha wanted to catch her hands and hold them to calm her, to assure her she was fine. He growled louder.

"Quiet," Kikyou ordered him and instantly he felt the cold force wrap around his vocal cords. "You seem to be busy, Higurashi, so I'll leave you and go to your Shrine to get what you stole. Oh, and your mutt's going to help me, right?"

Inuyasha couldn't even say how much he wanted to slit her throat. Sango glanced back at the girls slowly approaching her and her friends, Miroku laid Kagome on the blanket and grabbed his knife.

"I'll keep them away, kick her ass," he whispered to his mistress. Sango didn't wait another second, she jumped forward, ready to show Kikyou why she was called the Slayer. Unfortunately Kikyou wasn't interested.

"Take me home," she said and laughed when the hanyou turned on his heels and ran back straight in the direction of the Shrine he called home. Inuyasha howled in his mind, joining his wild inner youkai for once in his rage and lust for blood of a human. The one whom he held in his arms had hurt his Kagome. His anger was hot and he willingly let it bloom in his mind, for the first time in his life listening to the soft growled promises of death and havoc whispered by his inner youkai.

A/N: Oh no, what's going to happen...?


	5. Chapter 5

**5.**

* * *

With every leap he took his distance from Kagome was growing, as did the pain and cold of Kikyou's hold over his beads. Inuyasha's heart clenched when he thought about the pair standing guard over his best friend - Miroku was hardly a fighter and Sango would have a hard time protecting Kagome. He felt the only source of heat was his raging inner youkai, tearing at his mind and struggling against its bonds. With every passing second the hold Inuyasha held on it seemed to grow weaker, but he couldn't care about it, not when he had left his closest friends behind.

Kikyou ordered him to stop when he reached the edge of the park and they approached a black van. A dark-haired man exited the car and stood beside Inuyasha while Kikyou disappeared inside for a few minutes to dress in an uniform identical to Kagome's. When she emerged she ordered the man - Onigumo - to send more people to deal with the Slayer while she was going to take Inuyasha and pretend to be his mistress. With him obeying her demands and her looks so similar to Kagome she would be able to enter the Higurashi Shrine and steal the Pearl back. She ran her hand through her hair and smiled at Inuyasha

"We can even try and take down the old hag," she said with a serene smile.

"So the Slayer goes down. What about the Kagome girl, mistress?" Onigumo asked, glaring at the hanyou standing tensely while Kikyou wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head under his chin, obviously trying to coat her scent with his. "Do you want to harvest her power or just kill her?"

"I don't really care," Kikyou shrugged. "You can play a little with her, in her state she won't pose any threat. I'm afraid you have to be quite rough to get to her. But keep her alive and bring back to the Shrine, we'll drain her reiki. If you do well, I'll let you play with her more later," the Bellflower looked up when she felt the hanyou suddenly relax. All the time since she had grabbed his beads his muscles had been tensed, as if he had been fighting against her hold, but now... Inuyasha seemed to accept her power over him. His eyes were closed and his face expressionless when his ears were following leaving footsteps of Onigumo. He could hear his voice when he talked through a phone.

"Hitem? Tell your mistress that the holy quintet cornered the Slayer and the Wench. Grab everyone and come play..."

Inuyasha's ears plastered against his skull - the Wench was the nickname he had given to Kagome at the beginning of their life together.

He didn't care about the Pearl. He cared about his friends fighting in the park and his miko calling his name in a broken, shaking voice he could barely hear through the sounds of fighting and his own blood rushing through his veins. There were no onlookers, ordinary citizens were long gone from the park and areas closest to it. There were only Bellflowers running in the direction of shouting and cursing. There was no one who could help them.

He hadn't been friends with Sango and Miroku for long, but he valued them like some people valued loved siblings. And his feelings towards Kagome - even if he hadn't told her about them yet - were much stronger than he could express with words.

She was calling him.

He wanted to follow her voice.

He couldn't let her get hurt. He couldn't let the Bellflowers harm his friends and take away Kagome's power.

His youkai was calling to him, despite his better judgment he was listening to it, his human heart weakening the hold on his inner beast. After all, they wanted the same thing - to spill blood, to maim, to kill, to destroy. He flexed his claws.

He had to hurt those who had dared attack Kagome. Those who had dared attack his mate.

"Come, mutt, take me to the Higurashi Shrine. We have a Pearl to fetch," said Kikyou after watching the retreating figure of Onigumo for a moment. She didn't notice the youki rising around her.

Inuyasha's eyes opened. 


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Sorry I'm so not active lately, I had a bad week and my house is more or less under construction right now, so I don't have much time to write. And, even if I'm not depressed I felt a little down and unwilling to write ~shrugs~ Hopefully I'll be able to post more in the coming days

* * *

 **6.**

* * *

He opened his eyes and was greeted by a blank white ceiling. He felt like there was no whole bone in his body and his muscles were aching like he'd been hit by a car. There was no coldness gripping his spirit but to his horror there was no familiar warmth either, and the weight of the beds was missing, He gasped and sat up, only to tumble to the side and off the bed he had been lying in.

He groaned in pain and looked around. He was in a small room which had obviously seen better times. A kitsune boy was sitting on a chair and gazing curiously down at him.

"Hi," he croaked, his ears swiveling around as he tried to remember what had happened. The last thing he could remember was Kikyou giving him an order. Was it over? Was the Shrine - the family - destroyed or harmed? Was Kagome and their friends safe? What did Kikyou made him to do?

"Hi." The boy tilted his head. "You okay? For a while I wasn't sure you were going to wake up."

"I need to go home. I need to go to Higurashi Shrine," he replied and pushed himself off the ground, even if every movement was like a battle against himself. He realized his clothes were gone, he was dressed in a supermarket employee shirt and sweatpants - both neon red.

"Yeah, I heard that," the kid shrugged, drawing Inuyasha's attention to himself. "You were talking after I dragged you in from the street. About going home and stuff like that."

Inuyasha froze. There were no beads to stop him from saying anything important - what had he said to the kid while he was unconscious, let slip in his wild state of mind? The kitsune waved his tail and pointed to the bed behind him.

"Rest. I'll help you get home when you feel better," he assured the hanyou and jumped to the floor to walk out of the room. Before he passed through the door, he looked once over his shoulder with a significant look and added kindly, "I'm not Mama's enemy."

Inuyasha stared after the boy, who couldn't have been much older than twelve. Shaking his head slowly, he sat on the edge of the bed and looked more closely at the room.

It was dusty, and everything in it looked old. He could smell only the kitsune's scent, mixed with some older, far fainter ones. His ears twitched when he heard the fox speak to someone and he carefully slid off the bed, crossing the floor and pausing surreptitiously at the door, cracking it open and leaning closer.

"...I found a lost puppy. It has no collar, but I think it can belong to one of your pupils, Mama," the kid's voice was serious and sounded much older. "Yeah... He has white, long fur and cute ears. I think he was attacked by some wild animal, 'cause he was pretty beat up, but I took care of everything... Nah... You know what I want, mama. Yeah, yen'll work just perfect... No, no, you don't have to send anyone, I'll bring him as soon as possible. I won't let him get lost again."

There was a long silence before the little fox spoke up again.

"Tsu-tsu? Long time no seen! How are ya?" he inquired cheerfully. "About the dog... I'm still tracking it down... How much you were to pay me for finding it...?"

Inuyasha didn't stay to listen more to the fox any further than that; he was already sneaking out the window. He wasn't going to sit on his ass and wait; he needed to find Kagome and the rest of his friends! And he wasn't about to let that brat hand him over to Bellflowers, either! The memory of cold twisting around his spirit, the broken voice of his mistress and sounds of fighting were painfully fresh in his memory. He couldn't trust the fox - he probably had removed his beads and Inuyasha wanted them back. They were the sign of his bond with Kagome, with the family. There was no way the kitsune could stop him. He hoped Kikyou hadn't made him hurt his friends. Worry flooded his stomach when he couldn't remember her orders.. Maybe it was because he had lost his beads to Kikyo? He frowned and discarded the idea. He could remember all his time with Kagome and her orders, so there was no reason why he shouldn't be able to remember that damn Kikyo's… Right?

Instead of jumping to the ground he climbed up the half-ruined building to its roof. It took him a while to get there - not because it was tall, but because his muscles were screaming in disagreement each time he moved and strained his muscles and body to climb up. He stood on the top after a few moments and started scenting the air, his back pressed against a chimney.

Luckily, he recognized the area of the city he was in - it was pretty close to the park and the Shrine, deep within Higurashi domain. Upon determining which way home was, Inuyasha leapt to the roof of the next building and started to make his way back. His ears plastered to his skull when he heard the old building groan quietly from under his feet. He picked up his pace, just to assure that the roof wouldn't crumble from under him.

His protesting muscles were getting used to stretching, and with every step he felt a little better. It was quite a while since his last run across the rooftops, high above the streets. He let himself forget his worries just for a moment and focus on the feel of the wind against his face and sunlight warming his back. He thought he should take Kagome for a run sometime. The vague idea reminded him, painfully, exactly why he was currently making his way East. He looked up ahead to the hill where the Shrine was located. Kagome...

Suddenly a small weight landed on his shoulder.

"Who would know, you're pretty smart for a run away - they usually try to run on the ground," the kitsune said, offering the hanyou a piece of chocolate and ignoring the withering expression on his face.. "You're going back to the Higurashi Shrine, correct?"

"There's no fuckin' way I'm going to Bellflowers," he growled and saw that the kitsune was unfazed. In fact, he seemed to be rather relieved, and somewhat pleased. He ate his own offering as Inuyasha was just glaring at him.

"That's great. But you won't get there without that rosary you were wearing," the kit opened his other hand to show him a bead - one Inuyasha knew very well. The hanyou glared at him and started growling, he snatched the bead from his little hand. "Or without me, since this one is the only one I found around you when I tripped over your body on my way home."

"Who are you? What happened?" Inuyasha asked, trying not to grab the fox and shake him until he told him. The kid pointed in the direction of the Shrine.

"You can run and listen when I fill you in. Yesterday a gas pipe under the local park exploded," the fox snorted and grinned at Inuyasha's shocked expression. "What? That's the official version. I found you soon after the incident, bloodied in torn clothes, pretty beaten up and unconscious, so I took pity on a fellow stray and took you in so you could heal up in peace while Kaede and Tsubaki sent out their rewards for catching you. So I decided to wait for a while and see how much they were willing to pay to get your hide before I did anything else." Inuyasha snorted derisively, tearing his eyes away from the kit, who continued.

" Anyway, I was going to take you to the Higurashi Shrine anyway, so I don't understand why you just snuck away like that. You didn't even thank me. Your manners are seriously lacking. But at least you're not trying to run away in the wrong direction. After what you did, many wouldn't be so eager to get back to a bunch of mikos."

"Wh-what happened to people in the park?" Inuyasha asked, his pace as fast as he could muster.

"From what I heard there are fallen trees, wrecked public property. But there were quite a few bodies carried away in bags that I saw," the kitsune gave him a smirk. Inuyasha stumbled over an edge of a roof and almost fell to the ground. He stared at the grinning kitsune perched on his shoulder. "You know, for such a feral beast, it's kinda funny to see that expression on your face. Ya look like a kicked shiba.."

"I'm an akita!" Inuyasha growled at the kitsune, but his words lacked fire, he was thinking about the fox's words. He closed his eyes briefly and took a deep breath. He still couldn't remember a thing. Was it part of Kikyou's trick to make him come home and learn what he had done? He started to run again, leaping from a rooftop to a rooftop with easy grace despite the dull ache in his muscles. He feared what was ahead, but needed to know. He needed to see Kagome again.

"I was worried you'd try to run away when you realized your beads are gone," the kitsune was still talking, just like any child focused on something and not realizing the other person wasn't paying much attention. "Some of those who lose the family beads try to run and hide. A few even managed to do just that because the families didn't hire me. Why aren't you trying to do that too? I wouldn't mind a little chase."

"Fuck off, you know nothin'," Inuyasha replied, distracted by a unsteady footing. "What are you doing here anyway? I don't need a baby keeping me company, brat."

"I need those yen Mama's going to give me for taking such good care of you," the fox replied with a grin. "A kid's got bills to pay if he want to keep his independence. My name's Shippou, by the way. As we established earlier, you're lacking manners and didn't even ask for the name of your savior. Or thank me."

"Whatever."

He jumped down to an empty sidewalk just in front of steep stairs leading to the Shrine. He hesitated when he looked upwards, for the first time thinking what the family would do if he had harmed or killed the heir and the most powerful young miko. He shook his head - it didn't matter, he shouldn't worry about stuff he didn't know was true. Still… He couldn't stop thinking about the black hole in his memory and Kikyou's wide smile. His inner beast was oddly quiet, especially after being so eager to shred her to pieces. Shippou waved his hand before his face.

"Oi, you can move now. The barrier won't hold you out," he said. Inuyasha kept to himself his surprise there was a barrier - when he had been wearing his beads all Higurashi barriers had been transparent to him. Now as he blinked he could see a see-through wall of pink light shielding the entryway. He spared a glance at the fox on his shoulder and started to climb up the hill. 


	7. Chapter 7

**7.**

* * *

When he reached the top of the hill and crossed the red gate, he saw the yard quiet and empty, but he could feel someone was observing him. Without prompting he started walking towards the side of the traditional house. He didn't need to walk in through the front door, he could use the sliding ones leading straight to Kaede's meeting chamber where his nose was telling him the old woman was. And more important - where Kagome was. It was so relieving to catch scents of her and their friends and no stench of blood or illness.

"Oi, stupid, where are you going?" Shippou demanded to know.

"Shut up. You wanted to see Mama, right?" Inuyasha shrugged and almost knocked him off his perch. The fox remained quiet, letting Inuyasha carry him behind the corner of the house. The hanyou leapt to the raised floor before the sliding door, but didn't open it. Sango did. She had a bandage around her left forearm and a few bruises here and there, but she was alive. Inuyasha sighed in relief and inhaled the scent of uneasiness, worry and tension from behind her.

"Hi, Slayer," Shippou greeted. "I brought a stray puppy."

"You didn't even tie your catch," said Ayame who walked from behind Inuyasha. The hanyou growled at her softly, but the kitsune waved his hand.

"There was no need, the first thing he did after waking up was try to sneak away to come back home. Such a good doggie, always going back to his mistress." Inuyasha grabbed the kitsune and threw him at Ayame.

"Here! Skin him and make some gloves!" he spat, then turned to face Sango again. The girl was observing him quietly. His ears drooped. "Kagome...? What happened, Sango?"

The girl grabbed his hand and dragged him inside. 


	8. Chapter 8

**8.**

* * *

Kaede was sitting in her usual place on a big pillow. A few family members were sitting around her, their Collared Ones standing and sitting against the walls. He noticed every one of them had a knife or a gun in their hands. He also noticed quite a few worried gazes turned his way. Miroku was seated beside the door he had entered through, a staff in his hands. He could hear Ayame telling Shippou that Mama was going to see him in a few minutes and now he should go with her to the kitchen to taste new cookies.

"Kagome..." he started and froze when he saw the girl laying on their picnic blanket under the wall behind Kaede. She looked like she was sleeping, a calm expression on her face. A thick barrier of shimmering blue was encasing her realized that they had brought her here only because the edges of the blanket were beyond the barrier; it was too thick for even a human to enter it and touch the girl's body inside. He swallowed and turned his eyes to Sango and Kaede. When the old miko gave a gesture he sat down in front of her.

"Inuyasha," Kaede started. "My granddaughter said you encountered Kikyou the other day, and that she somehow warped your beads so she could order you like your true mistress."

Inuyasha's eyes darted to the girl laying behind her back, and he nodded.

"What exactly happened when she took you away from Kagome?" Kaede asked. "It's not an easy feat to make a youkai - or especially a hanyou - go feral... So badly."

Inuyasha realized he was staring at Kaede with his jaw hanging open like a fish out of water. Feral? Him? Only weak youkai were inclined to go feral, or very injured ones. He couldn't remember being injured... Had it been Kikyou's doing? To make him go crazy and turn him lose against his own family? Was that the reason why there were so many members of the family - all armed - watching him with such tension and uneasiness? Were they expecting him to attack Kaede?

When Sango cleared her throat he realized he had to answer - and quick. One of the biggest reasons miko families were able to lead their lives according to their own laws and weren't bothered by government was because they were the ones who took care of feral youkai. Inuyasha remembered Shippou's words - his surprise Inuyasha was so willing to return, the 'official' version of the event in the park...

"She wanted to disguise herself as Kagome and enter the Shrine. She wanted to reclaim the Pearl," he said. "She ordered her man to kill Kagome and the rest, and told me to bring her here... I don't remember anything else. I... I'm not a mindless killer, Mama. You..."

"Hush, child." Kaede lifted her hand, her one good eye boring into him. She seemed to be calm and focused, but not worried about him being a threat. "Sango, would you fill him in?"

"As you wish, Mama," his friend sighed. She turned to look at him, her gaze somewhat pitying. "When Kikyou took you away, her friends attacked us. Miroku and I kept them at bay for a while, but Kagome wasn't feeling good. She lost consciousness and Miroku felt her aura shift like it was trying to... Find a way around something, and manifest itself. That's when Onigumo and his friends joined the party. We were about to grab Kagome and run for it when suddenly something exploded in the direction you had left. Onigumo screamed and fell to the ground with his beads broken."

"Broken? Is that even poss-" Inuyasha started, but Sango silenced him with a nod.

"Beads break when the master dies," she explained. Inuyasha whimpered faintly and reached for his throat, his face going pale and his gaze flying to Kagome's slumbering face.

"Kagome isn't dead," Kaede said, correctly interpreting the half demon's reaction. "There are other ways to break the beads, but all are nearly impossible," she said calmly, not minding the curious looks of some of the people wearing beads in the room.

"When Kikyou died, the spell she had cast on your beads and Kagome was gone, but for some reason Kagome didn't wake up, she just created this barrier," Sango gestured to the barrier surrounding her sister. "Then you returned."

"Oh, boy," Miroku sighed and shook his head.

"Wait, why are you so sure Kikyou died?" Inuyasha asked. "She couldn't have just run away and… And lost her hold on Kagome's power...?"

"You were dragging her..." Sango swallowed, "...parts."

Inuyasha felt his stomach drop, his mouth going suddenly very dry. He knew a lot of stories about youkai going feral, and it never was pretty. And now his friends were cringing and telling him he had gone insane with blood lust. A part of him was wondering why he was still alive and not purified. There were eight mikos around him, he could feel their auras - none of which were hostile, but they were wary and tense. He looked at his hands - his claws were clean, but his imagination painted them vivid, blood red.

"You attacked the Bellflowers. And the park in general," Sango continued. "Before Miroku and I called for support from the Shrine you already had torn several more people to pieces, including a pair of lightning youkai and a few mikos. Your youki was so strong, I could see it, even with my weak reiki," she added. It was no secret Sango was a very weak spiritual power user, but she made up for it in different skills. "We were just staring, kneeling beside Kagome's barrier. There was no stopping you, not without at least a few strong mikos and youkai with equal youki to hold you down. And when Mama arrived, you were already gone, chasing some of the Bellflowers. We tried to track you down before someone else could, but we couldn't find you. Kouga lost you scent, we couldn't pick up your youki..." Sango shrugged. "So we called Shippou."

"What do you plan to do to me?" Inuyasha asked faintly, looking to the old miko sitting upon her cushion and gazing down at him. The decision was hers - a feral youkai was usually killed on the spot, but one who reversed back could face a different fate. Being sealed for eternity was one of the kinder ways to deal with a person who woke up from darkness to see that they killed multiple innocent people - it was a simple way to ease that person's mind, and make sure they didn't go feral again.

Honestly, it scared him to think he might be sealed.

Kaede was silent for several long moments, as were the other members of the family. Inuyasha couldn't help himself. He looked behind her to gaze upon Kagome's face.

At least she was safe.

A/N: Oh, no, what's going to happen now? Only one chapter left!


	9. Chapter 9

**9.**

* * *

"Do to you?" Kaede's old voice brought him back from dark musings about his near future and relief that the only person accepting him was still alive, as well as their friends. "For what?"

"For what? For the park incident!" Inuyasha stared at the old woman. "I killed people! I went..."

"It was a gas pipe," Kaede cut in, staring at him significantly. "I heard it was old and the latest earthquake probably weakened it. Accidents like this happen."

Inuyasha was only able to stare at the head of Higurashi family.

"But..."

"We will find a way to seal your blood so it won't boil over the brim again," Kaede waved her hand. "But that will come later. Now let's focus on my granddaughter. We can't reach her, we can't wake her up. A few members of the family have a theory that maybe you could reach her since you were tied to her power.

"Me? Reach her?" Inuyasha blinked at the old miko. He didn't have a clue about reiki bonds and barriers and stuff like that. "You want me...?"

"Since it was your concern for her well-being and safety that made you... Snap... I'm inclined to let you try. From what I've gathered, you two have grown quite close, and your bond didn't depend only upon the beads." "

The hanyou looked down at the sad little bead he was still clutching in his hand, his ears drooping as he searched his mind for clues of what to do. He stole a glance at the old miko, who gestured for him to approach the barrier. He slowly got to his feet and walked around Kaede and Sango, silently approaching his mistress. He knelt beside her head and rested his hand against the barrier. It appeared to be solid like rock. His inner youkai stretched inside his mind like a lazy cat (a dog, a lazy dog!) after a long nap in the sunlight. The beast growled in pleasure as he looked down at Kagome.

He became suddenly aware of the rumbling noise in the back of his throat, and he realized it wasn't his inner beast growling in contentment as he gazed upon the pretty face of his sleeping mistress. It was him. The low sound filled the eerily silent room. No one dared snicker that a dog youkai was creating a sound dangerously similar to cat's purr.

To his amazement and surprise, as soon as the sound reverberated in the air the barrier flickered and disappeared, causing his hand to fall on Kagome's stomach. He dared to move closer to the girl and lean over her. What was he going to do now? Why did the barrier disappear? It wasn't like he did something spiritual. He wasn't a healer, he had no mind powers to reach for her consciousness... He was painfully aware of people watching his every move, some probably waiting for him to make a mistake... So he did the first thing that came to his mind. He patted her shoulder.

"Oi, Kagome," he called quietly. "You overslept again."

With a cry of dread, Kagome, sat bolt upright. Her head collided with Inuyasha's, both of them reeling back with surprised grunts of pain. Allowing her suddenly throbbing skull to fall back against the floor, Kagome squinted up at Inuyasha, who was rubbing his forehead and staring down at her. Her face cracked into a wide grin, and she gave a dry sob of relief.

"You're back..."

"Keh," he tried to sound carefree, as if nothing had happened. He wanted her to smile at him again - especially because he wasn't sure she would smile after hearing about him going feral. What was he going to do if she rejected him? "So what of it? Did you want me to pack your breakfast or something?"

Kagome shook her head lightly, cringing in mild pain as she did that.

"No, just… Please kiss me, Inuyasha?" she asked with a soft, tired smile, the shadow of her usual radiant one. Inuyasha complied without hesitation, smiling as his lips brushed against hers. At least he'd have a memory of a kiss...

His ears flattened against his skull and they both jumped in surprise when they heard the sudden roar of the laughing and cheering people behind them. Inuyasha didn't dare to look back at the merry crowd or at the madly blushing girl.

"I guess he doesn't need beads to follow her wishes." Even Kaede's old voice wasn't free of amusement.

A/N: I'll let you on a little secret now. When I started this story it was going to be a dark-ish AU where Inu was going to be an innocent hanyou dragged by his mistress in world of killing, blood and lust.

...What went wrong...?  
~cackles~  
As many of my wonderful readers pointed out this fic isn't really a Gang AU. I guess I got sidetracked and let myself follow another path. Hope it was enjoyable to read. I plan to write a sequel some time in the future - afteer all there are some loose ends and I'm pretty sure at least some of you would like to see more of the adorable Shippou being a badass run-aways hunter.


End file.
